OUR PUBLICATIONS by James White

Seventh-day Adventist Publishing Association · Battle Creek, Mich. · March 25, 1880

FromThe Review and Herald, Vol. 55, No. 13

OUR PUBLICATIONS.

By James White

FROM the very commencement of the work, it has fallen to our lot to take the general supervision of all our periodicals and publications. In fact, the REVIEW AND HERALD, Signs of the Times, and Youth’s Instructor were commenced and introduced to the public by our individual effort, and on our own personal responsibility. If we have not been mistaken in this matter, the Lord has especially called us to this work.

As the cause has rapidly increased, demanding more publications on the various subjects brought before the public, others have done most of the writing, while we have had an increasing desire to see these publications just what they should be in every respect. The camp-meetings, our institutions, and the general interests of the cause, have engrossed our mind, and the cares, perplexities, and labors that have been thrown in our pathway, have fully occupied the mind, giving us neither time nor strength to do these subjects justice, which we have been pressed to present to the public in print. The time has fully come for a change. At no period in our history have our ministers and people viewed the importance of the publications as at the present time. And at no time have we felt pressed in spirit to devote our feeble powers to writing as now. We look upon these publications with great pleasure. Our life has been bound up in them. We already have too many kinds of books, and yet the entire ground of what we call present truth is not fully covered; so that while some works are going out of print, others more fully covering the ground are demanded.

Again, the attention that is now being given to the tract and missionary work will greatly increase the demand for our publications; hence the importance of revising some, dropping others entirely, introducing new ones, and improving the entire catalogue as far as possible. This work now presses itself upon our mind, and with present convictions we abandon the idea of going the round of camp-meetings for 1880. We have done more hard labor the past ten months than during any similar period in our past life. We are worn, and dare not give encouragement to those who are urging us to attend their camp-meetings. Changes of laborers and gifts are generally beneficial to both preachers and people. This has certainly proved true in the great Methodist denomination, and we know no reasons why changes would not be as beneficial to S. D. Adventists.

Mrs. White is now upon the Pacific coast, and we question that policy which would call her from that field, in her present worn condition, to nerve herself up to the tremendous effort of laboring at the eastern camp-meetings of this season. We hope to complete Life Sketches in the month of April, then hold one meeting in Colorado, on our way to join Mrs. W. in her labors in California in both writing and speaking to the people. This will give our young men, who have had time to prepare themselves by study, meditation, and prayer, a chance to come to the front. As a people, we should give the several branches of our work that attention which is proportionate to their importance. With the blessing of God, the camp-meetings for 1880 may be the best ever enjoyed by our people.

J. W.